Discovering and Locating Great Fiction and Nonfiction Books
Begin your search in NoveList Plus
This terrific collection of information about fiction and nonfiction books is searchable in a variety of ways, including by author, subject, title, series, and genre, as well as by a variety of "appeal factors", including writing style (candid, compelling, dialect-rich, jargon-filled, lyrical, richly detailed, slang-heavy, stylistically complex, etc.), pace (fast or relaxed), and more. Retrieval can be limited by age of reader, Lexile and/or grade level, author's nationality and/or cultural ID, and other criteria.
After you've discovered a book you want to read...
Try to locate a copy within the Salem Public Schools by searching for it in Destiny, our district-wide online catalog.
Can't find the book you are looking for within our school district? Search for it in the North of Boston Library Exchange (NOBLE), including the collections of Salem and sixteen other North Shore public libraries.
Selected Database Collections for Students in GradesK-5
This collection features 80 full-text elementary school magazines,Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia, the Encyclopedia of Animals, American Heritage Children's Dictionary, 3rd ed., as well as thousands of photos, maps, and flags. Each full-text article is assigned a Lexile (reading level indicator). Science magazines available in Primary Search: Current Health Kids, Current Science, Odyssey, Ranger Rick, Scholastic Scope, Scholastic SuperScience, Science Spin K-1, Science Spin 2-3, and Zoobooks. Social Studies magazines available in Primary Search: Appleseeds,Calliope, Cobblestone, Dig,National Geographic Kids, National Geographic Young Explorer, and more.
Kids InfoBits was developed for beginning researchers in grades K-5, and features an appealing and developmentally appropriate visually graphic interface. All curriculum-related information comes from high quality magazines and reference materials. Subjects covered include geography, science, health, current events, history, government, the arts, sports, and more. (The database features two reading level recommendations - "Easy" and "More Difficult". These are assigned to magazine, reference book, or newswire titles, not to individual articles.)
This is just one of many fine databases available to us free of charge by the MA Library System. See the full list.
This comprehensive collection features information about the history, culture, and daily life of states, countries and territories around the world, including detailed statistics, maps, and much more, organized into four databases: World Edition - created for students in middle school and beyond; Kids Edition - designed for use by upper elementary students; States Edition - for use by upper elementary students; and Canadian Provinces Edition - for use by upper elementary students.
Selected Database Collections for Students in Grades 6-8
This collection includes 150 full-text magazines, thousands of photographs, maps, and flags, more than 130,000 biographies, and more than 81,000 primary source documents. Each full-text article is assigned a Lexile (reading level indicator). Science magazines available in Middle Search Plus: All Animals, E: The Environmental Magazine, Math Trek, National Geographic, National Geographic Explorer, National Geographic Extreme Explorer, National Geographic Kids, Popular Mechanics, Ranger Rick, Scholastic DynaMath, Scholastic Math, Scholastic SuperScience, Science News, Science News for Kids, Science Spin K-1, and Wilderness.
Social Studies magazines available in Middle Search Plus: American Heritage, American History, Calliope, Cobblestone, Dig, and more.
This fine collection features full-text encyclopedias about a variety of subject areas. Read, listen to, translate and/or download articles to an iPod or other mobile device.
The ReadIt! database (formerly known as the English Language Learner Reference Center) is designed for use by individuals who have learned basic English grammar and reading but who need adapted reading in the subject areas.
This comprehensive collection from ABC-CLIO features more than 40,000 primary and secondary information sources, including full-text articles, more than 1,500 biographies of important political and cultural figures, maps and images, about countries and regions around the world. allows students to compare literacy rates, population growth, natural resources, and statistical data between and among countries.
This terrific collection from ABC-CLIO includes coverage of human history from prehistory through the great ancient empires to the start of the Renaissance. The database features more than 6,500 primary and secondary sources, such as full-text articles, 1,200 biographies of important figures, reimages, maps, and a helpful glossary of terms.
Spanish Language Resources
This Spanish language encyclopedia, designed for use by students in grades K-12 is composed of two parts:
Escolar Online ( grades K-8)
Enciclopedia Moderna (grades 9-12)
The Britannica Spanish Reference Center is designed for native Spanish speakers, or for students who are bilingual or learning Spanish.
English Central features a terrific collection of video content for learning English, nifty teacher tools, and much more. Account holders can practice their English speaking, receive feedback, and monitor their progress. Classroom accounts are available, after a free trial. Visit the Teachers Page to learn more.
In for the Long Haul by Mary Soto, Yvonne S. Freeman, and David FreemanLearn about the challenges faced by long-term English learners (LTELs), defined by Menken and Kelyn as "students who have attended U.S. schools for seven or more years and whose prior schooling has been linguistically subtractive because their native language was not fully developed in school and instead was replaced by English".
Preparing English Language Learners for Complex Reading by Janice Silva, Paul Delleman,and Andria Phesia(from the November 2013 issue of Educational Leadership) (NOTE: Use the Firefox browser when searching for and printing articles in EBSCO databases.)
"The article presents information on how to teach complex reading to English language learners (ELLs) in U.S. education. The authors look at the U.S. Common Core State Standards, the use of Spanish and English nonfiction and informational texts, and second language learners. The article also discusses English argumentative texts with pro and con aspects of controversial topics." -- from EBSCO's Professional Development Collection. (NOTE: This is just one of several excellent articles in the November 2013 issue, devoted to "Tackling Informational Text", all of which can be found in the Professional Development Collection.)
"Despite the need to use and develop their English-language proficiency, English-language learners (ELLs) are often quiet during classroom discussions. The Response Protocol was developed to help teachers elicit and support the oral interactions of ELL students."
This terrific collection of information about fiction and nonfiction books is searchable in a variety of ways, including by author, subject, title, series, and genre, as well as by a variety of "appeal factors", including writing style (candid, compelling, dialect-rich, jargon-filled, lyrical, richly detailed, slang-heavy, stylistically complex, etc.), pace (fast or relaxed), and more. Retrieval can be limited by age of reader, Lexile and/or grade level, author's nationality and/or cultural ID, and other criteria.
Try to locate a copy within the Salem Public Schools by searching for it in Destiny, our district-wide online catalog.
Selected Database Collections for Students in Grades K-5
Science magazines available in Primary Search: Current Health Kids, Current Science, Odyssey, Ranger Rick, Scholastic Scope, Scholastic SuperScience, Science Spin K-1, Science Spin 2-3, and Zoobooks.
Social Studies magazines available in Primary Search: Appleseeds, Calliope, Cobblestone, Dig, National Geographic Kids, National Geographic Young Explorer, and more.
See Complete Contents List
This is just one of many fine databases available to us free of charge by the MA Library System. See the full list.
Check out a two-minute training video.
Want to learn more? Try the full 30-minute training video.
Science magazines available in Middle Search Plus: All Animals, E: The Environmental Magazine, Math Trek, National Geographic, National Geographic Explorer, National Geographic Extreme Explorer, National Geographic Kids, Popular Mechanics, Ranger Rick, Scholastic DynaMath, Scholastic Math, Scholastic SuperScience, Science News, Science News for Kids, Science Spin K-1, and Wilderness.
Social Studies magazines available in Middle Search Plus: American Heritage, American History, Calliope, Cobblestone, Dig, and more.
See complete contents list.
See a complete listing of the science encyclopedias available.
See a complete list of the history encyclopedias available.
See a complete list of the social science encyclopedias available. (This collection includes the UXL Encyclopedia of World Mythology.)
Check out the User's Guide to ReadIT!
The Britannica Spanish Reference Center is designed for native Spanish speakers, or for students who are bilingual or learning Spanish.
Other Great Web Resources
by Janice Silva, Paul Delleman,and Andria Phesia(from the November 2013 issue of Educational Leadership)
(NOTE: Use the Firefox browser when searching for and printing articles in EBSCO databases.)
(NOTE: This is just one of several excellent articles in the November 2013 issue, devoted to "Tackling Informational Text", all of which can be found in the Professional Development Collection.)
by Kathleen A.J. Mohr and Eric S. Mohr
(from the February 2007 issue of
The Reading Teacher)